Contamination control mats, commonly referred as “tacky mats,” are utilized in environments such as medical, nuclear, semiconductor chip manufacturing applications, waste removal applications such as asbestos abatement, construction sites, or the like. These mats are placed on the floors, such as in entry ways or exits, to capture particulate matter such as dirt, dust and other contaminants.
Typically these mats are composed of non-renewable plastic sheets that are layered in a stack. Each sheet is coated on an upper side with a thin layer of adhesive that adheres to the smooth surface of the sheet above it. Protective liners cover the top and bottom sheets of the mat until it is ready for use. When the protective liners are removed, the mat may be adhered in position and the adhesive on the top most sheet of the mat is exposed. The adhesive of the upper most sheet adheres to, and removes, any lose particulate matter from foot traffic and equipment that engages the mat. However, no adhesive is transferred to the shoe or equipment. When the top-most sheet becomes contaminated, the sheet is removed and disposed.
Tacky mat sheets are difficult to recycle due to the adhesive and the particulate contamination disposed thereon. Accordingly, since most recycling facilities cannot process the disposed sheets, the contaminated sheet are put with common waste. With sunlight, the plastic sheets can take hundreds of years to break down resulting in dangerous micro plastics. If placed in a landfill, the sheets could remain intact indefinitely.
What is needed are apparatus and methods for creating floor mats, or coverings, which include bio-renewable materials. These floor mats have improved environmental costs by reducing the carbon footprint of production. These floor mats also improve the environmental impact of disposal by releasing less micro plastics, and other harmful materials, into the environment. Further these materials may also improve the oxo-degradability or bio-degradability of the discarded floor mats.